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Learn how to ganache a cake the right way

Sometimes we just want to ganache one cake which is not part of a tier, if you’re like me and keep a massive stash of chocolate hidden away you'll probably wing it for the amount you need, if not ... Read on!

Ganache is so easy to make up and to have slightly too much or too little isn't really a big hardship, however for larger or different combination cakes it's good to have some idea on the amounts of chocolate and cream required.

I’ve pestered my long suffering hubby Howard to create a simple chart to help sort out ingredients for individual cakes and tiers, it may be that you will need slightly more or slightly less depending on the thickness of covering and filling you prefer.

The chart is based on amounts used in Paul’s tutorials for an 8 inch cake filled and covered, it takes into account the surface and filling area and is factored against the surface area of an 8 inch cake.

The ratio for dark chocolate to cream is the normal 2:1, I have used 3:1 ratio for both milk and white chocolate. Some sites will recommend 2.5:1 ratio for milk chocolate but from my personal experience milk chocolate takes longer to set than dark and should be treated the same as white chocolate, I’ve also noticed other sites say ganache should be whisked before filling and covering cakes, however whisking ganache can prevent it from setting firmly. Adding too much air into the mix will make it moussey and in some cases shorten the shelf life, airborne microbes will also be incorporated which could encourage mould growth. I feel, whisked ganache is best kept for making truffles and desserts, where a small amount of added glucose or alcohol will lengthen the shelf life for as much as a week, however, it’s up to individuals how they prefer to make up their ganache.

Medusa's bad hair day - made by user 'madeitwithlove'

I hope you will find the chart useful. Happy baking and decorating everyone!

madeitwithlove

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Comments

Thanks for this! I tried ganache for the first time last week and had real problem with it splitting. I followed the recipe and watched the video but it looked nothing like the nice smooth mixture Paul got. Can you help?

I think everyone has a few problems when first trying to make ganache. Try sitting your boiled cream for a minute before adding to the chocolate. Let the heat of the cream reach the bottom of the chocolate and stir gently until combined. It looks a mess to begin with, but it will come together gradually. Don’t over mix, once it’s all combined that’s it! Have a peek here http://www.designer-cakes.com/questions?s=oily+ganache for information on how to fix split ganache. Practice with small quantities first so you’re not wasting too many ingredients, you’ll be fine next time. x

You’re welcome, glad it helps. Just bear in mind what I keep saying, you may need more/less depending how light or heavy handed you are with ganache. I don’t use as much as Paul does although the calculations have been worked out on the amounts he uses in the tutorials. x

The ganache on the outside is exposed to the air and crusts over, it isn’t completely hard so there’s no snap to it, just enough to make a nice firm seal to keep the cake inside lovely and moist The ganache on the inside draws moisture from the cake and remains soft and fudgy. I know, it can get a bit confusing but it’s fine. x

First my apologies for the tardy reply, I only saw your question late last night. The medusa cake is covered with tempered chocolate ganache and tempered chocolate decorations. The ‘hair’ is made by piping tempered chocolate on an acetate strip. Using a combed scraper make a line of chocolate covering the strip, twist the acetate and allow it to set. When set untwist the acetate to get the spiral decorations. The coloured spheres are made in half sphere moulds which have been smudged with powered colour mixed in melted cocoa butter. Only a tiny amount of each colour is needed. I use Mycryo powdered cocoa butter which is made by Callebaut and available from any chocolate supplier or on Amazon. You’ll need about half a teaspoon for each colour melted extremely gently in a small dish until liquid. Tempered chocolate is poured into each half sphere cavity, filling completely. Scrape clean and neaten the top and tap the mould on the work surface to disperse any air bubbles. Hold the mould in your hand and flip it over to tap out the excess chocolate, scrape the top of the mould clean while it is still upside down. Let the chocolate set and then de mould. The shapes should pop out cleanly and be nice and shiny if the chocolate was properly tempered. Lift each shape with forefinger and thumb and very gently melt the edges of the half spheres on a warm surface and stick them together to make a full sphere. You can warm a small swiss roll pan to melt the edges. To prevent finger marks on the shiny surface avoid handling the spheres too much.
Making the ruffle which the decorations are sitting on is a little more difficult as it requires working quickly. You’ll need a marble slab which has to be frozen. Pour an even layer of tempered chocolate on the slab, using a wallpaper type scraper, scrape away from yourself to achieve pleates. Pinch in the middle to form a fan and place on the top of the cake. This is a very delicate decoration and will melt if held on to even for a few seconds, so speed is the essence. The cigarrette curl is made by placing an even layer of chocolate on a cool work top, do this with a pallet knife or scraper ( like a wall paper scraper), allow it to be touch dry, place your forefnger in the middle of the scraper and with a swift action scrape up the chocolate into a roll. It’s not difficult, just needs practice! For the chocolate shards follow Paul’s tutorial here http://www.designer-cakes.com/online-cake-decorating-courses/chocolate-transfer-cake and cut out rectangular blocks the same height as your cake. The six wheeled dough cutter or a ribbon cutter can be used to get even blocks, or if you have a straight hand you can cut them with a knife. Do this before the chocolate sets completely.
I hope I haven’t made it sound too complicated. x

If your cake is frozen leave it out at room temperature overnight. If your cake has been in the fridge allow it to come to room temperature for about half an hour so the condensation dries off and them apply the fondant. If your cake does not have too much condensation you don’t have to wait.

I noticed in the videos that Paul always makes his ganache the day before he needs it, and leaves it to set in the fridge overnight. Is this mandatory? I just wonder if I can skip this step, and use theganache one it has cooled to room temperature. I don’t understand why you ned to refridgerate it, only to reheat it in the microwave the next day before use before you can use it.

Thanks for the chart! I understand the amounts are based on what is needed to fill and cover a cake. Is that for 3 layers of filling (4 cake layers with ganache between them all) and covering? or just one or two layers of filling? Thanks 🙂 Monica

I’m so sorry to have missed your comment. In answer to your question, the amounts are based on the way Paul fills and covers the tutorial cakes. Paul cuts his cakes in half. When I use the chart quantities I find the amounts sufficient for filling and covering three layers. However, I don’t fill my cakes as deeply as Paul but if you wanted to fill three or more layers increase your ganache by approximately 25% -30%, you may have a little left over but better that than not enough.

Ganache can be frozen for up to 3 months. Store it wrapped in a freezer bag and then in an airtight plastic container so it doesn’t absorb any weird and wonderful smells from other foods. Defrost at room temperature, warm in the micro wave on medium/low temp in 20 second bursts at first, mix after ever warming and reduce the time down to a few seconds until you have a working consistency.

Hi can I ask what percentage cocoa is the best for making ganache for both dark and milk chocolate? I am a complete novice so would it be easier for me to work with dark chic ganache? Would maybe have preferred milk as don’t want the cake to be too bitter but some things I’ve read on internet says milk is hard to work with. Thanks.

For dark chocolate ganache a palatable cocoa content would be 45-60%. Anything above that may not be to all tastes. The higher the cocoa content the more bitter the chocolate. Milk chocolate try and get 40-42% and white chocolate 26%. If you’re lucky you may be able to find 29-32%. White chocolate is not chocolate at all. It is combination of cocoa butter, milk solids and flavourings. Take more care with it because it burns very quickly.

I was just wondering if the cream was to be measure in ml or grams. The chart says ml but the total is in grams. Sorry I am a newbie and I also usually measure in cups and pounds, but I’m learning to convert!

I’m sorry for late reply, I’ve only just seen your question. It’s fine to measure the cream in gms, milk and cream measures are interchangeable between gms and mls. Hope this has clarified the instructions. x

It depends a lot on the type of chocolate you’re using. Very dark chocolate sets much quicker because it contains more cocoa solids. Any chocolate which contains cocoa solids of 50% and over works well using the above chart. Milk chocolate doesn’t contain a lot of cocoa solids so try aiming for a cocoa content of approximately 40 – 45%. To make ganache use the same ratio chocolate to cream as in the above chart. White chocolate is not real chocolate, it is made up of milk solids, coco butter ( in good chocolate) vegetable oils and other products. Use the chart for quanitites, however if it doesn’t set during warm weather add more melted chocolate to the ganache. The ganache made from the above quantities is the type used for applications in the tutorials. If you need more help or information it may be better to post in Q & A for a quicker response here http://www.designer-cakes.com/questions.

Hi der,
I usually hv dis habit of reading posts to c if my qt is already been answered for somebody Wid same prob.I came across dis post where u say mix equal ratios of choc n cream as in chart. But in d chart d ratio is 2:1 I.E.choc :cream. Confusion confusing..

Yes to make ganache, we would suggest using the 2:1 ration of cream and chocolate. This chart helps you to work out how much cream and chocolate you would need depending on the size of the cake. So although it is 2:1 ratio, you will need to know how much double cream and how much chocolate you would need to make ganache for a specific cake size.
I hope this clears things up a bit? Cheers! Danielle x

I am sorry you have become confused about the ganache ratios. In my blog and chart I say to use 2:1 ratio for dark chocolate and 3:1 for milk and white. I’m not sure where in my blog, you have read about mixing equal quantities.

Some ganache recipes, (depending on what it is to be used for), do ask for equal quantity ratio. This type of ganache is softer ganache and better used for fillings and sometimes for pouring.

For the purposes of crumbcoating as seen in the tutorials, it is much better to make a firmer ganache. Firm ganache when set, gives sharper edges and a strong platform for laying sugarpaste (fondant) over.

If you pop over to http://www.designer-cakes.com/questions/
you’ll find a massive stash of information about ganache. All you have to do is ask your question or simply type ‘ganache’ in the searchbox.

Hi would you mind stating which blog platform you’re working with? I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m having a difficult time deciding between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your layout seems different then most blogs and I’m looking for something unique. P.S Apologies for being off-topic but I had to ask!

Hi Made with love,
Thanks for d chart. I use it as a guide. Bur den I saw Paul ‘s video where he is using dark choc to ganache d cake.but d proportions r not 2:1 as in d chart it’s Smthng like 1.4 :1. I.E. Choc: cream. M No way doubting ur expertise but I would like to clear my confusion over dis n really appreciate d chart.
Thanks

The chart is for covering and filling the sizes shown in the columns. Paul is using proportions for the size cakes he is covering and filling. He doesn’t tell us what size cakes he is covering so his amounts will not be the same as anyone else’s. I think that is what is confusing you. The chart shows for one cake of all the different sizes and different chocolates.
You don’t have to make two lots of ganache. For dark chocolate use 2 part chocolate to 1 part cream, for milk or white chocolate use 3 parts chocolate to 1 part cream ration. The sizes shown are for one cake cut in half as Paul shows in his tutorials. If you read the information below Paul’s ganache tutorial he has linked in my ganache chart. If you are still uncertain please let me know how many cakes you wish to fill and cover and their sizes so that I can help you better.

Hey made with love,
Thanks for the prompt reply
Ok well let me reframe my question. I m not confused Wid d chart n it’s qty to b used on d cakes.
After looking Paul’s video to ganache d cakes and an article on how to make ganache on d blog by him again,I would like to say or ask dunno.
It really doesn’t matter Wat size of the cake, sir is gonna fill n ganache, the proportions of choc n cream should b 2:1 rite in case of dark choc ( also dats what d chart says)
Now according to d video on how to ganache the cake with d dark chocolate ( no matter Wat size of Cake it is) proportions of dark choc n cream is not 2:1 since it’s 1600 gms of choc: 1127 gms of cream because half of 1600 would b 800 so it should hv been 1600 gms of choc: 800 gms of cream ( which is correct according to d chart too)
So M guessing dat we have to adjust d choc or cream consistency as we desire.. We can compromise on Lil choc or cream according to d desired consistency.
I m kind of person who would take exact exact proportions as asked.so when I saw d differences in d proportions by the same person was kinda curious so as to why such a difference.
N now another qt since I read in one of the posts in q n a dat 1:1 (dark) gives a firm but soft filling so if I opt dat as filling n 2:1 proportion to ganache d cake den m I dping rite. If I opt dis way den how to go abt it. Shld I make 1:1 proportion.. Fill d cake n weigh d left over n if say my leftover ganache is say 200 gms den assuming dat 100 grams would b choc in it I should add more 100 gms to make it 2:1 consistency.
Sorry for d long msg.
Thanks again.

There is no right or wrong way to make ganache.
Paul’s amounts are guides and so are the amounts in my chart. Most people will use 2:1 ratio for dark as this has been found to set very well for the purposes of cake decorating. The chart is there as a reference point but you can make your own adjustments as you please. It is possible that Paul uses different ratios at different times to compensate for environmental conditions. If the weather is hot and humid it would be necessary to increase the chocolate amount slightly or reduce it if the weather is particularly cold. I do the same all the time.
For personal preference I make a 1:1 ratio for filling. It makes a soft ganache which doesn’t set hard but I use 2:1 ratio for covering. You can do this if you would like and add more chocolate to any left over to make it stronger for covering. The best way to find what works for you is to experiment with ratios and quantities. Experiment with your own ratios using the above as guides. Let us know how you get on, as one recipe does not necessarily please all of the people.

Hi I made yesterday a cake with ganache and i put it in the fridge. When i took it out i iced it with fondant immediatly and fondant became wet and sticky… What was the problem, did i had to leave it out of the fridge to get room temperature firstly?

You are ok putting a cake covered in ganache in the fridge but fondant (sugarpaste) will ‘sweat’ in the fridge causing the moisture making it wet and sticky.
Best to avoid putting fondant in the fridge at all, but ganache is fine. Kind regards, David

Hi im new to ganache. I’ve got a 10 ” cake to cover. Do I measure the cream in a jug or weigh it? Also what chocolate do people use as it’s just cost me £10 to buy 35% milk chocolate to get amount I need that’s stated in the chart.

hi Leanne, the cream can be measured in a marked pouring jug to ensure you get the right quantity.
Our Q&A page is a good resource for looking for advice on where to get products where we have thousands of home bakers all looking to help one another and search out a good deal. Here’s a recently answered question on the subject…http://www.designer-cakes.com/questions/milk-chocolate-ganash
Kind regards
David

Weighing the cream is much more accurate than volume measure and it’s a lot easier.
Sometimes buying bars of chocolate works out a lot more expensive than sacks. If you google callebaut chocolate or Belcolade you’ll discover a host of suppliers who sell professional quality chocolate at extremely reasonable prices.